The Magic Lies in the Process

Andreas Vogiatzakis launches his first book, an introspective self-portrait through words  

THIS ARTICLE FIRST APPEARED IN THE MARKETING WEEKENDER ISSUE 298.

Andreas Vogiatzakis (his last name is pronounced voh-ya-zaki) celebrated 55 years of an unplanned life last week, with the launch of his first book, Courage at the Crossroads. The launch was streamed live on Facebook as Andreas candidly shared his experience moving through the process of publishing a book and how it required him to become a lot more introspective than he had planned.

Courage at the Crossroads is a story of Andreas’ life –  a village boy born to replace a brother he had never met. It recounts his journey from a university drop out to following his heart to become a successful CEO across Asia and how the journey is packed with stories of successes and failures, dramatic juxtapositions, determining values and life-changing decisions, meeting at the crossroads. 

Courage at the Crossroads

Andreas started writing the book in August, wanting to launch it by Christmas. “It can make a great Christmas gift, I thought,” Andreas said. “But I was nowhere near halfway by then”.  So he  postponed the “launch” for Valentines, thinking it could instead make a great Valentines gift, before multiple chapter revisions changed his plans again. Then, as Chinese New Year approached, he thought launching the book as the Bull entered the Chinese calendar, would be symbolic. Alas, yet again, the universe had other plans.  

“As one delay brought another, I realized that the universe was trying to tell me that the best time to publish it would be when I turn 55, a milestone, significant in my life, on July 16, 2021,” Andreas explained. “From there, the countdown started and here we are today.”

When asked to describe the feeling of publishing his first book, Andreas used the word cathartic. For Andreas, this project, like any of other meaningful projects, was a living organism. He watched it grow, nurtured it and finally, 10 months later,  gave birth to it, with much love. “The basic structure did not change as I envisioned it, yet it got better, more embellished with stories and a magnificent design that brought my thoughts and feelings to life,” he said.

According to Andreas, Courage at the Crossroads did not start off as a self discovery project. But as life had planned for him this way, he found himself facing demons he had forgotten existed along with many other things that he did not notice were lurking around him in the dark.  But as it unfolded and took a shape and form of its own, it gave him clarity and a renewed passion to keep on creating and advancing while moving onwards and upwards. 

“What surprised me the most, in writing this book, was my greatest discovery about myself – that I never realised before – lies in the first chapter,” Andreas said. “I do not think I have ever realised clearly the unconscious burden I carried in replacing my brother.”

For those who attended the launch, it was, among many things, a timely reminder of the role honest storytelling can play as a tool of radical empathy to connect people with what they have in common.

Andreas is an Executive advisor, Certified Coach & Trainer, TEDx speaker, Certified NLP Practitioner, a multiple award-winning marketing maverick, ex-CEO of many top tier media agencies in Asia, and the former Group CEO of Star Media Group. In August 2020, he launched AMVPLUS ADVISORY, specializing in Coaching, Training and Consulting & bringing in the forefront extensive experience in critical areas

Courage at the Crossroads is available on Amazon, IngramSpark and IHUB on a global scale, as well as all major bookstores in Malaysia as soon as the lockdown is over.  You can buy the book at www.amvplus.com and for a limited time only, to celebrate AV’s 55 years of unplanned life, you can pre-order/buy the book at IHUB for RM55 only (shipping not included).  Visit AMVPLUS.COM to find out more.